Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .458 x 2'' American with .458 | 400gr | Barnes Buster FN FB bullet and 29 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ReloadSwiss RS 36, Shooters World Buffalo Rifle and Lovex D060.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,301 psi | 89% | 2018 fps | 99.5% |
| Accurate 5744 | <<locked>> | 86% | 50,937 psi | 85% | 1998 fps | 99.8% |
| Accurate LT-30ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,862 psi | 78% | 1929 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 86% | 53,055 psi | 88% | 1988 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,012 psi | 90% | 1929 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,528 psi | 78% | 2014 fps | 100% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,154 psi | 52% | 1841 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,058 psi | 63% | 1932 fps | 98% |
| Alliant Reloder-7ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,661 psi | 83% | 2018 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,295 psi | 74% | 1929 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon H4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,486 psi | 81% | 1962 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,385 psi | 49% | 1152 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,221 psi | 70% | 1929 fps | 99.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 96% | 52,620 psi | 88% | 1998 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,896 psi | 90% | 2034 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex D063 | <<locked>> | 88% | 51,576 psi | 86% | 1985 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S040 | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,069 psi | 88% | 1893 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 98% | 52,953 psi | 88% | 1988 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,236 psi | 72% | 1995 fps | 99.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,848 psi | 48% | 1181 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 96% | 51,343 psi | 86% | 2024 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Blackout | <<locked>> | 86% | 53,998 psi | 90% | 2021 fps | 99.9% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,896 psi | 90% | 2034 fps | 99.9% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 88% | 51,503 psi | 86% | 1982 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,329 psi | 86% | 1857 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,074 psi | 67% | 1923 fps | 96% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 92% | 53,316 psi | 89% | 1926 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,775 psi | 78% | 1982 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,362 psi | 62% | 1867 fps | 97.4% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,718 psi | 50% | 1699 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 5744 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,786 psi | 71% | 1896 fps | 99.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,669 psi | 69% | 1864 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,569 psi | 73% | 1886 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,321 psi | 67% | 1781 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,585 psi | 43% | 1690 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 27,630 psi | 46% | 1765 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 28,224 psi | 47% | 1762 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 28,776 psi | 48% | 1716 fps | 95.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,334 psi | 66% | 1864 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,178 psi | 72% | 1893 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,553 psi | 36% | 1030 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 27,180 psi | 45% | 1670 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,793 psi | 55% | 1739 fps | 98.6% |
| Lovex D060 | 35.7 gr | 80% | 40,640 psi | 68% | 1867 fps | 98.8% |
| Lovex D063 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,726 psi | 66% | 1844 fps | 99.1% |
| Lovex S040 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,922 psi | 83% | 1860 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,952 psi | 53% | 1726 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 84% | 26,382 psi | 44% | 1719 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,074 psi | 35% | 1050 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 37.1 gr | 80% | 31,473 psi | 52% | 1755 fps | 98.2% |
| Shooters World Blackout | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,324 psi | 74% | 1913 fps | 99.4% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | 35.7 gr | 80% | 40,640 psi | 68% | 1867 fps | 98.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,595 psi | 66% | 1837 fps | 99.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,414 psi | 51% | 1611 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,797 psi | 63% | 1886 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,869 psi | 63% | 1759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,962 psi | 43% | 1673 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 31,372 psi | 52% | 1768 fps | 95.6% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 43 powders for .458 x 2'' American loaded with the .458 | 400gr | Barnes Buster FN FB. Lovex D060 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,034 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,152 fps to 2,034 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 43 of the 43 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (414 MPa), the top charges use 44–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, Accurate LT-30 reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. ReloadSwiss RS 36, Shooters World Buffalo Rifle, Lovex D060 rank at the top here: for .458 x 2'' American with the .458 | 400gr | Barnes Buster FN FB they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2460, Accurate LT-32, Hodgdon CFE BLK burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.